How much is designer jewelry worth?

Hi! A friend of mine told me about your great appraisal service. I have some pieces of designer jewelry from different designers and brands and I’m wondering how much is designer jewelry worth? Is the value of designer jewelry significantly higher as for no name jewelry or are only the used materials of special importance? I have designer jewelry in form of rings and bracelets. Could you please estimate the value of my designer jewelry? Thank you! Hillary
Hillary from Helena in Montana

Dear Hillary, thank you very much for contacting the reDollar experts. It’s our pleasure to make a value estimation for your designer jewelry. In general it can be said that designer jewelry is almost always much more expensive than usual jewelry from no name brands, but also expensive designer jewelry has a much higher resale value than no name branded designer jewelry. It strongly depends on the respective designer and the jewelry piece itself. Please be so kind and tell us more about your designer jewelry. Once we have a photo of your jewelry and a detailed item description it’s much easier for us to determine the value. Thank you!
reDollar appraiser, Maria Tait

Designer jewelry is a very popular kind of jewelry also because designer jewelry can be a good investment for passionate jewelry collectors. The value of designer jewelry is in most cases more stable and higher than the value of unbranded jewelry. The more popular and exquisite the brand, the more stable and solid is the jewelry investment. Brands like Tiffany & Co. Cartier, Boucheron, Harry Winston or Graff, just to name a few, are fine jewelers whose jewelry pieces have a very stable and promising value. Older pieces, from limited quantity can reach record prices because of their high desirability. If you plan to sell designer jewelry then realize your ambitious plans only with an experienced jewelry buyer like reDollar. We distinguish between finest high jewelry and machine-made jewelry made for the mass. Our accredited jewelry appraisers have the necessary ability and sensitivity to offer you the best possible price for your designer jewelry. We take into consideration which materials have been used, such as diamonds and colored gemstones as well as the brand or the designer who has created the piece of jewelry. The collected information and characteristics are very important price-building factors to make you the best possible offer for your designer jewelry.

How much is designer jewelry worth?

Hillary: Hello Maria! Thank you for answering my message so quickly. I’m really excited how much my designer jewelry is worth. I think about selling some pieces. Because of that I think it’s wise to know the value before starting selling activities.

Maria: Hi Hillary! Nice to meet you. Yes, absolutely. I agree entirely. It’s very important to know the value of the jewelry you want to sell. Only by knowing the true value, you are perfectly prepared to find an adequate buyer. Knowing the value gives you the possibility to compare different buyers by the price offers they’ll make you. Nothing else is so convincing then a high price for your jewelry. Please give me more relevant information regarding the designer jewelry you consider to sell.

Hillary: Of course, it’s my pleasure. First I have a gold ring from David Yurman. It’s a gold ring with a pearl as centerpiece and diamonds. I’ve just send you a photo of this beautiful ring. The ring has only minor signs of usage. If I remember correctly, the ring has a size of 7.5. I’m pretty sure it’s an 18 karat gold ring. What do you think about this David Yurman ring?

Maria: This is a really beautiful ring, stunning. I know this ring very well. It’s a David Yurman pearl crossover ring with diamonds. It is made of 18 karat gold, split shank, and is set with pavé diamonds which should have a total carat weight of 0.16. The pearl has a diameter of circa 10 mm. This pretty pearl is a white cultured freshwater pearl, which is naturally hued. In my opinion this is a truly beautiful ring, very elegant and timeless.

Hillary: Yeah I know, it’s a nice ring. I think I paid $4,000 for this jewel. What is the price I can get for this designer ring when I sell it?

Maria: The bad news is that in this case you can’t count with such a high resale value as the retail price was. The price difference between brand new jewelry and pre-owned jewelry is in most cases enormous, even if the jewelry is in mint condition. Well, this does not apply to very old jewelry with a history from high-end jewelry brands like Harry Winston, Cartier, or Van Cleef and Arpels for example but it applies to a ring like yours from David Yurman. I know that your ring currently retails for $4,500. This ring is beautiful but it shows no uniqueness or specialty so that this factors could influence the price in a positive way.

Hillary: Yes, you’re right. That’s the price I’ve paid for the ring. I bought this ring just some months ago but I’m in serious financial troubles, what forces me to sell parts of my jewelry collection. What do you think, how much is designer jewelry like this David Yurman gold ring worth?

Maria: I would estimate a fair market value of $2,500-$3,000 for this ring. Of course, this is by far a lower price than the original price was but you have to consider a devaluation for “young” pre-owned jewelry of that kind.

Hillary: I know Maria, that’s the very frustrating part on selling recently bought jewelry. But I think your value estimation is not that bad, on the whole I’m satisfied with this price. My second designer jewelry piece that I would like to present you is something special for me. It’s a Cartier diamond bracelet I’ve inherited from my aunt. It’s a dazzling piece, lavishly set with the finest diamonds you can imagine. I think it’s very, very valuable but I don’t know how much this piece of designer jewelry is worth. What do you think about my Cartier diamond bracelet? I hope you can clearly see the details on the photos I’ve sent you.

Maria: Yes, thank you. The quality of your photos is very good. But to make a proper value estimation from afar I need more detailed information regarding this bracelet. Could you please tell me if your Cartier bracelet was made of platinum or white gold? I tend to white gold but I’m pretty sure this type of bracelet was also made in platinum. Do you have a certificate or any other information like a diamond report available which would give me more information about the diamonds and their carat weight? And finally it would be helpful for me to know the weight and the dimensions of your Cartier diamond bracelet. Thank you very much Hillary for your cooperation but to make a really precise value estimation all this information is essential. I appreciate your assistance.

Hillary: Of course, I understand. The bad news is that I don’t have a diamond report but Cartier has enclosed a certification that says my bracelet is made of 18K white gold, has a length of 7 1/2 “, and the diamonds in my bracelet have a total weight of 3.00 carats. In addition to that it has a clasp closure and all maker’s marks. There is no detailed report describing the quality of the diamonds. I’m sorry for that.

Maria: Thank you very much Hillary. You are a great help for my value estimation. I know this type of Cartier bracelet very well. It’s a “Maillon Panthère” bracelet from Cartier. A very beautiful and elegant piece of jewelry. Very classic, very nice. What about the condition? Do you also have the original Cartier box of this bracelet?

Hillary: Yes I still have the original box. Well, I have worn this bracelet very often but I took great care. I won’t say it’s in mint condition because it has here and there minor signs of usage, but generally it’s in very good condition, almost mint.

Maria: Ok, I understand. On basis of the given information, I would estimate a market value of circa $15,000 for your Cartier Maillon Panthère gold and diamond bracelet. Are you satisfied with the value estimation of your Cartier bracelet? Is this the price you have expected?

Hillary: Not bad at all. Yes, this is the price I have expected, more or less. So if I would sell my two designer pieces, I could get around $17,500. That’s a decent amount of money that helps me over my difficulties. Thank you very much for your estimation Maria. Now I better know how much is designer jewelry worth. What if my Cartier diamond bracelet would not be made from Cartier? What would be the price then?

Maria: That’s hard to say but I think around $7,000 maybe. Cartier is one of the most important jewelry designers and manufacturers in the world. It’s a company with a great history that stands for pure luxury and elegance. Therefore it’s hardly surprising that also pre-owned Cartier jewelry can be sold for tremendously high prices. Especially your bracelet is a very popular piece. The Panthère collection is highly sought-after from many, many jewelry collectors as well as Cartier admirers.

Hillary: I agree to your opinion. The last piece I would like to present you today is a fancy ring, one of my favorite pieces. I would love to keep it but my personal situation forces me to sell some of my personal things. It’s not only jewelry I have to sell but, anyway. I would like to present you my Tiffany Schlumberger diamond ring. This ring I’ve inherited from my grandmother. Unfortunately I can’t give you any background information regarding this designer ring because I got it as it is. There is no bill of sales, no box, and no diamond report available. Due to that I’m unable to indicate a carat weight. Have you ever seen this ring before?

Maria: I feel very sorry for your situation Hillary. I hope your difficulties can be solved very soon. Every day we are confronted with personal destinies and sometimes they really break my heart. I do my very best to help you with a great appraisal. Knowing what you own is the quintessence of a profitable sale. An appraisal saves you a lot against losing much money. Sorry for losing the thread. Back to your Tiffany Schlumberger diamond ring. I know this ring very well. I think just recently I have seen this jewel at an auction from a renowned auction house in New York. I love the Jean Schlumberger pieces from Tiffany. They have a truly beautiful design, very coltish and fanciful. The bad news is that a value estimation of diamond jewelry from afar is very, very difficult without knowing the diamond quality. So please be aware that my estimated price is very vague and also based on compared values.

Hillary: I can absolutely understand what you mean. That’s fine for me. The only thing I can confirm is the material. My Tiffany Schlumberger diamond ring is made of platinum.

Maria: Thank you Hillary, that helps me a tiny bit. This is what I thought. It’s a platinum mounted ring, lavishly set with a circular-cut diamond as centerpiece, surrounded by several circular-cut diamonds in an overlapping and bifurcate design variation. A wonderful piece! Especially the centerpiece-diamond is overwhelming. Without knowing anything about the diamonds, such as carat weight, color, or clarity, I can only estimate the value on basis of a recent auction result as reference value. So I would set the value in the price range of $15,000-$20,000 for your Tiffany Schlumberger diamond ring. Maybe if the diamond quality is very good, you can get a bit more, around $22,000.

Hillary: Wow, that’s a fair amount of money I think so. I’m positively surprised. Thank you very much for your professional, and informative appraisal. You have answered my question “how much is designer jewelry” perfectly. I love the way how you explain things and how you involve the clients in the appraisal process.

Maria: Thank you very much for your friendly words. I’m very happy that I could help you. If you want to sell your jewelry pieces, I can gladly guide you through the entire sales process, you will see, we make a very good job, not only concerning the appraisals. The deal can be closed very fast so that you have your needed money very soon.

Maria: Thank you very much for your trust in us! As soon as your jewelry has arrived in our laboratory and the detailed analysis is finished, I will give you a call and send you a detailed appraisal report. It was a great pleasure talking with you.

Hillary: Thanks Maria, the pleasure was mine.

Did you know that reDollar is best buyer for Designer jewelry? We offer you top prices, much more than local buyers can offer you!